LES MEUSES

LES MEUSES

A noria is a waterwheel. Norias date back to the end of the XVIIIth c. They were used (they still serve this same purpose to this day) for carrying the water of a canal up to a water tank, which then distributes the water in lands which are at a much higher than the canal. When the 'Marquise de Ganges' (the Marchioness of Ganges) arrived around 1600, she had a dam built on the Vis river in order for the canal to be water supplied. First of all, there were wells working with wheels which were activated by horses and which were made to irrigate the lands located at higher altitude. Then came the norias, at the end of the XIXth century. Six norias are still working, five of them have recently been renovated and one of them is listed as an historical monument. Most of those wheels are located along the "Chemin des Meuses" (the Norias' path'). They are in perfect harmony with the environment, and they are one of the vestiges that are examples of the renovation of our heritage.